On This Day
by Saudade
Summary: The time has come. Harry and his friends have finally made it. Loved ones have been lost, innocence is forgotten, hearts have been broken, and things are changing. What will become of this day? Only Harry, Ron, and Hermione know.
1. Default Chapter

A/N I do not own Harry Potter ... you knew that already ...

A young boy named Harry Potter lay quietly on his deep scarlet four-poster bed. Steadily breathing, he watched as his thin chest moved up and down in a rhythmic motion. Then, looking over to the window, he caught a brilliant beam of sunlight creeping through the curtains, illuminating the tiny dust particles within the room.

Everything today - on this particular day - seemed to have a deeper meaning for Harry than anything ever had. Every little detail about his room, his friends, his teachers, and most importantly, his school, was effecting him in ways he never knew was possible. Even watching the sun through the curtains gave Harry an emotion that he never thought he would have to feel again - heavy heartedness.

The past seven years had been such a great struggle for Harry. While what he gained from it was great, what he lost was even greater. And now, today, they day he thought he would be most happy, was quite possibly the saddest day of his young life - or maybe not so young anymore. It was true, yes, that Harry had thought himself to be young, but was he really? He was just a small baby when Voldemort was paralysed in every way possible by Harry's power, and now, at 17, he had defeated Voldemort once again.

In more ways than one, Harry knew that he was forced to grow up much faster than any other kids would have been. He didn't get the chance to live a happy life - young and carefree, with no worries. His whole waking life was filled with fear, pain, regret, loss, and longing. Even in sleep he could not escape his horrid fate.

But that was done. It was all over now. The day had finally come. Voldemort was gone, and it was time for Harry to graduate from his only real home - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At the abrupt sound of thumping coming from the stairway, Harry felt around for his glasses and put them on, trying to put the room into focus. When his sight finally cleared, there was Ron, standing at the doorway, with a smile on his face from ear to ear.

'Hey, mate,' said Ron, still smiling.

'Hey to you too," Harry replied, rubbing his eye under his spectacles.

Ron continued to stand at the doorway, tapping his foot on the ground, looking like was concealing a great amount of energy.

Harry scrambled out of bed, (slightly tripping over his covers) and stood up.

'Do you know what day it is?' Ron asked.

'What do you think I am?' Harry responded. 'Of course I know what day it is ... graduation - ' He answered slowly.

'IS TODAY!' said Ron, finishing Harry's sentence. Then, to Harry's utterly amusing surprise, Ron broke out in the strangest form of movements Harry had ever seen in his life.

Ron was dancing.

'No more Snape! No more Snape! No more smug and dirty ... dirty great ... git ... er ... thing. Sorry, I'm lousy at rhyming.' Ron chortled.

Harry decided to laugh along with Ron, and even a few minutes later, joined in dancing with him. Harry wanted to forget his sadness, he wanted to be happy. The only way he could do that was by being around happy people.

That didn't last.

While him and Ron were linked in arms, happing around the room, Hermione burst through the door, with many tears pouring down her face.

'Do you realise what day it is?'said Hermione, with slight indignation as she looked from Ron to Harry and back again.

'Uhh, yes,' said Harry and Ron together.

'IT'S GRADUATION DAY - oh!' Hermione sobbed into her hands, before Ron sheepishly passed her a handkerchief from his side pocket. 'I-,' Hermione gulped for air, grabbing the handkerchief from Ron, 'I just c-can't believe that it's all over! I can't! I just can't!''But Hermione,' said Ron softly, 'I thought you'd be all happy now that you don't have all the school work to worry about.'

Clearly Ron thought that we was cheering her up, but was deeply mistaken.

'Happy?' said Hermione hysterically. '_Happy_? Why would I be happy? I'm miserable! Oh! I'll miss Hogwarts so much!'

'What? Well - I - er ... Harry?' Ron turned his attention to Harry, who was back sitting on his bed, leaning forward with his hands covering his face. 'Harry, mate?'

Harry's hands feel to his lap and he looked up at his two best friends.

'I - ' Harry began, but was stopped by a horrifying burn creeping up his throat. There were only two other times that he had almost cracked in front of his friends. One, was in fourth year, while he was in the hospital wing, and Mrs. Weasley was hugging him. The other was in fifth year, when he was with Ginny in the library, and he had just received a chocolate egg from Mrs. Weasley. Harry didn't want to let his friends know how weak he was feeling. He never did.

Ron and Hermione were beginning to look a little uncomfortable because Harry wasn't saying anything for a long time. Ron, though, looked as if he was getting ready to inquire Harry's troubles, until Hermione shrieked.

'RON! WHAT IN THE NAME - what is this?' she yelled angrily. Ron turned his head and issued a little spit from his mouth before bursting out in laughter ten times louder than before.

For some reason, the handkerchief Ron gave her was squirting out heaps of purple liquid that splattered all over Hermione's face while she tried to blow her nose. Even Harry couldn't conceal his laugher and joined in with Ron.

'RON! S_eriously_, what is this? Hermione asked, now giggling herself.

'I'm - so - sorry - Hermione -' said Ron through spasms of laughter. He wiped away a tear, reached into his pocket once more and pulled out more of the handkerchiefs. 'During the spring break - I can't believe I forgot - but I bought a bunch of these from Fred and George's joke shop! They're called Hankerspanks! They explode whenever you try to use them!' Ron burst into more fits of laughter again, and this time it didn't subside.

Hermione glanced over to Harry who was still laughing slightly and caught each other's eye. It seemed that she too, understood the one thing Harry had been thinking the whole time in the presence of his best friends - that this might be the last time they have a really good laugh together in Hogwarts, or perhaps ever again.


	2. Food, Quidditch, and many Huggles

A/N - I don't own Harry Potter ... but I wish I did ... : (

After a few minutes of watching Hermione attempting to get the purple goo off of her face, the boys could no longer take the erratic spasms of laughter, and had to leave the common room.

Harry was feeling much better than before, and was glad that Ron was always there to take his mind of things.

Together, as Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole, to their great surprise, the Fat Lady decided to stop them and have a chat.

'My dear boys ... ' The Fat Lady sniffed, wiping a single tear away. 'My dear, dear boys ...'

Harry looked to Ron with an eyebrow raised quite high, and Ron returned the expression.

'Er - yes?' answered Harry. He wasn't too sure what to say to her, after all, Harry was never that great at comforting girls who would spontaneously burst into a fit of water works.

The Fat Lady stopped crying, and gave one last stifled sniff.

' ... That's all, good day to you.' She took a sip of her wine and became still.

'Mental ... ' Ron muttered to Harry as they walked away, down the corridor. 'Say Harry?'

'Yeah?'

'I - I wanted to say something to you.'

Harry stopped dead in the hallway leading the moving stairs. Ron sounded serious, but hesitant.

'Well, go on. What is it?' Harry asked.

'You - you know - ' Ron seemed to have trouble getting the words out. 'You know that you are - '

'OI, HARRY!' A voice called from behind.

Harry and Ron turned to find Seamus standing a few feet behind them, holding a long, scarlet and yellow robe.

'Harry! Harry you forgot to get your graduation gown from Professor McGonagall!' Seamus panted. It seemed that had indeed chased after Harry and Ron to catch up. 'Here you go,' He smiled.

'Cheers, Seamus,' Harry smiled back, and took the gown graciously. Seamus winked, and then headed off to the common room.

Harry drew his attention back to Ron, who was looking incredibly sheepish.

'Sorry - what were you saying?' said Harry.

'What? Oh! Oh ... no, it's nothing ... forgot ... ' said Ron out of the side of his mouth.

Harry knew perfectly well that Ron didn't forget, but he decided not to pursue.

'Let's hurry on to breakfast.' Harry wanted badly to say 'Our last breakfast at Hogwarts,' but wasn't sure if he'd be able to get the words out.

Teachers were already beginning to decorate the Great Hall for the graduation that would be taking place that very night. In fact, _all_ that was on people's minds in the Great Hall was graduation. Neville in particular was thoroughly excited.

'Never thought I'd make it, Harry, never,' said Neville as they sat together at Gryffindor table. Neville was quite impressed with himself, and to Harry, it was quite the breath of fresh air, seeing is that Neville was hardly ever proud of himself. 'Boy, Harry, even the Fat Lady stopped me at the portrait hole. Didn't say much though, just "Dear boy, my dear boy",' Neville tried to imitate the Fat Lady's voice. 'Very sad, she was - could barely get the words out.'

Harry and Ron laughed together silently away from Neville.

After they had their fill of great Hogwarts food, Harry and Ron set off for the Quidditch Pitch, for one last round.

'Alright then, Quiddich Captain,' Harry yelled to Ron from across the pitch, after hopping onto his Firebolt, 'have you still got it in you?'

Even from afar, Harry could tell Ron's ears had become right pink.

'Well, they sure didn't make me captain because I'm DAMN HOT,' Ron yelled back, swerving towards the three hoops on his Cleansweep.

'Hot in the ears,' Harry mumbled to himself, and they began their one on one game of Quidditch.

As the two boys roared on with their delightful, and fulfilling game, the afternoon passed quicker than any other had. Twelve o-clock past to one, and two to three, and soon, after four hours of hard core Quidditch playing, they decided to give in.

'Harry,' Ron breathed hard, wiping his sweaty hair away, heading for the castle, 'that must have been the longest game of Quidditch I have ever played.'

'Was totally worth it, though,' Harry smiled at Ron, and together, they entered the castle, feeling better and refreshed than ever before.

As the boys came to the marble staircase, they noticed how things were becoming tense. All the 7th year students were either crying to hard, laughing to hard, or not saying anything at all. They even caught a glimpse of Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones hugging each other tightly near the doors to the Great Hall. After everything that had happened with Voldemort, they became very close friends.

On the moving staircases, Harry saw Padma Patil with a herd of her friends around her; she was crying very hard of course, and yet, Harry didn't need to know why, for he perfectly knew why Padma was so upset. Even Ron showed eyes of sympathy towards Padma, perhaps even he felt bad for her, after all, he did ditch her at the Yule Ball three years ago.

Upon reaching the corridor to their common room, Harry and Ron spotted something far more amusing than any Quidditch game; there was their house-elf friend Dobby, in the middle of the corridor, head down, completely balling his large beady eyes out. But that was not the funny thing, the funny thing about it all was that Dobby was wearing on him, every single piece of clothing that Harry and Ron had ever gave to him.

Ron and Harry looked at each other grinning, and then decided to speak.

'Er - Dobby?' Harry asked.

Dobby looked up to Harry and Ron, and beamed brighter than ever.

Harry Potter, sir, sir and my dear Weezy ...' Dobby sniffed, 'How sir, how will Dobby ever repay you for your kindness to him?'

'Dobby ...' said Ron softly.

'I is ... I is going to miss you sirs ... I is ... I is ... OH!' Dobby broke out into loud gasping sobs.

Harry looked from Dobby's face to Ron's, and then back again. Without a second thought, he walked right over to the crying elf, lifted his small clothed body up from the ground, and pulled him into a tight hug. This perhaps, was what made Dobby cry even harder, and grasp Harry's collar to cry on it.

Harry then turned to Ron with an exasperated look for help. So then Ron walked over to Harry, tapped Dobby on the shoulder, which caused Dobby to leap from Harry to Ron in a split second.

As Harry watched Dobby and Ron share an embrace, he smiled slightly at this. Never before would Ron or Harry ever do this, let alone two 17 year old boys.

Than came another loud shriek that Harry and Ron knew all to well. Before Ron could even grasp what was happening, a very large amount of bushy hair was surrounding him and Dobby. It seems that Hermione had just came out of the portrait hole, saw Ron hugging Dobby, and just had to join in.

'Dobby!' Hermione sobbed. 'Oh Ron!'

It was the funniest thing Harry had ever seen. There was Ron, holding onto Dobby, and Hermione (who still had a slight purple stain on her face) holding onto him from behind. He could have laughed at this, but also, decided to join in.

Togther, the trio and Dobby stood there in a many armed hug. This was a feeling that Harry had been longing to feel; the warmth of friends around him. He didn't quite know what the night was going to bring, but he was sure, and very happy, that he would be sharing it with the only people who had stuck it out for him through good and bad.

A/N

Hi there, everyone. Sorry for being stupid and forgetting to put one of these on the last chapter. Just so you know, I will be continuing on with a few more chapters for this story, and hopefully we will finally get to see the trio graduate! Thanks to those who commented!

3 Jessi


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